Andy Ruiz Jr knocked down Anthony Joshua several times on his way to a stunning win
Key events
Hearn: ‘AJ got sloppy’
Joshua: ‘I don’t want anyone to drown in their sorrows’
Ruiz Jr: ‘This is what I have been dreaming about’
4h ago Joshua down in the seventh and … and it’s over! Andy Ruiz Jr has knocked out Anthony Joshua!
Ruiz (once) and Joshua (twice) both down in Round 3!
That’s all for now. Thanks for following along with us and be sure to check out our full ringside report from a historic night at Madison Square Garden.
Andy Ruiz Jr springs historic upset of Anthony Joshua for unified heavyweight title
Hearn: ‘AJ got sloppy’
“AJ got sloppy,” says Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua. “It was a beautiful combination in the third round. He was in total control of the fight but he got sloppy and never recovered. Listen, tonight was his night but AJ will come back 100% and we will make the rematch in the UK in November or December. But this night now belongs to Andy Ruiz, he made history in the heavyweight division tonight.”
He adds: “It will go down in history as a very big one. AJ has the heart of a lion and will come back stronger. Now at least we know the opponent for the end of the year in the UK. Absolutely we will enact the immediate rematch. He will be devastated when it sinks in. It makes the fall fight a must win.”
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Joshua: ‘I don’t want anyone to drown in their sorrows’
“Heavyweight boxing is on fire,” Joshua says. “I just have to turn it around a few notches and bring it back my way. I don’t want people to drown in their sorrows. This will show I have the power and the strength.”
On the difference between tonight and Wladimir Klitschko: “It’s all the same. It just wasn’t my night. But listen, it is good for the TV. Good for DAZN and the people watching.”
On the stoppage: “I want to fight. I don’t do his job. I am never one of those fighters to disrespect a referee like he should have done this or he should have done that. He called it off when he thought I couldn’t fight. It’s a shame. But I don’t want anyone to drown in their sorrows. It’s the long game, not the short game.”
On the immediate rematch: “100%. 100%.”
Ruiz Jr: ‘This is what I have been dreaming about’
“I want to thank God for giving me this victory, without him this wouldn’t be possible,” Ruiz says. “I just feel so good, man. This is what I have been dreaming about. This is what I have been working hard for. I can’t believe I just made my dreams come true. I just want to thank my team and my family. The sky is the limit, baby.”
On what happened in the third round: “That was my first time getting dropped on the floor. It just made me stronger. It just made me want it more. I just had to knock him down back.”
On taking Anthony Joshua’s power: “It’s because of the Mexican warrior I am, I have that Mexican blood in me. Talking about the Mexican fighting style, I just proved it.”
On sensing that Anthony Joshua was hurt: “I could but I just didn’t want to throw away what I had. I just wanted to hunt him down even more and work the body. I just wanted to listen to the game plan.”
Needless to say: stunning scenes at Madison Square Garden. Afterward Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, said his fighter would exercise an immediate rematch clause after a shock that ranks among Buster Douglas v Mike Tyson and James Braddock v Max Baer among the biggest surprises in heavyweight championship history.
Andy Ruiz Jr
Say it out loud: Andy Ruiz Jr is the unified heavyweight champion of the world. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters
Joshua down in the seventh and … and it’s over! Andy Ruiz Jr has knocked out Anthony Joshua!
Joshua lands a bit shot early on but Ruiz meets it, there’s a flurry and down goes Joshua for a third time early in the seventh! Oh dear! Referee Mike Griffin is talking to Joshua in the corner after what appears to be a slip and … he’s waved it off! Andy Ruiz is the heavyweight champion of the world in one of the biggest upsets in history!
Round 6
Joshua still looking a bit wary of Ruiz’s hand speed and power. He’s content to circle the ring and jab away. A mostly uneventful first half the the round, then Ruiz lands a left on Joshua’s jaw. Then another! Then Joshua ducks under another lunging left hook. Ruiz really letting his hands go.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Joshua 9-10 Ruiz Jr (Joshua 57-56 Ruiz Jr)
Round 5
Both men still a bit gun-shy early in the fifth as the fight continues in the familiar pattern of Ruiz chasing and Joshua fighting in a slow retreat. Ruiz missing a pair of big shots early. Joshua lands a counter flush but Ruiz walks right through it. Joshua then wobbles Ruiz with a massive left hook that Ruiz somehow absorbs. Joshua looks fresher here and appears to be waiting for his opening.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Joshua 10-9 Ruiz Jr (Joshua 48-46 Ruiz Jr)
Round 4
Ruiz comes right at Joshua from the opening bell. Joshua may still be hurt. But Ruiz curiously backs off. Big mistake. Each man has tasted the other’s power and both appear wary. Joshua has found his footing and is back to fighting at a distance, poking away with the jab. A very quiet round. Just what AJ needed.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Joshua 10-9 Ruiz Jr (Joshua 38-37 Ruiz Jr)
Ruiz (once) and Joshua (twice) both down in Round 3!
Anthony Joshua gets to his feet after being knocked down in the third round
Anthony Joshua gets to his feet after being knocked down in the third round.
Joshua comes out firing the jab and lands a hook upstairs and Ruiz is down early in the third. Ruiz beats the count and tells the ref he’s OK but Joshua is coming in for the finish. Now Joshua detonates a masive right on Ruiz’s jaw but Ruiz’s walks right through it. Ruiz won’t hold on. He’s trying to fight through it and he lands on Joshua’s jaw. And Joshua is down! Oh wow! Joshua is down in a heap and now Ruiz has Joshua on the run. Joshua is holding on! And Ruiz has Joshua on the run in the corner. Ruiz is battering away! Joshua is defenseless, not throwing back! And Ruiz lands another big right and Joshua goes down – nearly through the ropes! Unbelievable scenes! Anthony Joshua beats the count but he is in serious trouble.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Joshua 8-10 Ruiz Jr (Joshua 28-28 Ruiz Jr)
Round 2
Joshua throwing the jab with a bit more authority early in the second. Ruiz lands a pair of jabs and follows it with a right hand. More jabbing from Joshua, who is just towering over the challenger. Ruiz lunges forward with an overhand right but Joshua slides safely out of range. Joshua is measuring distance nicely here but the margin for error is ample. He tags Ruiz with a hard right flush on the jaw but Ruiz walks through it. Ruiz, as expected, just can’t negotiate his way around that jab with any consistency.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Joshua 10-9 Ruiz Jr (Joshua 20-18 Ruiz Jr)
Round 1
Joshua looks to establish the jab early on. His advantages in height (four inches) and reach (eight) look even more dramatic here. The champion is mostly fighting off the back foot as the pudgy Ruiz moves forward in pursuit. Ruiz walks straight into a jab then nearly gets decked by a hook that’s just off the mark. Very much a feeling-out first round.
Guardian’s unofficial score: Joshua 10-9 Ruiz Jr (Joshua 10-9 Ruiz Jr)
Michael Buffer is introducing the fighters. A smattering of boos for Ruiz, who’s anything but a hometown favorite in this room. The champion is announced second and the crowd goes wild. Referee Mike Griffin gives the final instructions in the center of the ring, the seconds are out and we’re off …
The fighters are making their entrances. First it’s Ruiz, who goes off as a 10-1 underdog. Now the long wait for Joshua, who’s making the challenger wait. Finally he emerges from the tunnel in a white robe with black trim to Ye’s Burna Boy. The fighters are both in the ring and we’re going to listen to a few national anthems now: first for Mexico, then for the United Kingdom, then for the United States.
Source:theguardian.com
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